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1987 Mountain Klein

Gary Klein pioneered the use of heat-treated aluminum tubing with thin walls and large diameters for road bikes in the 1970s while a student at MIT.  He would start Klein Bicycles in the Bay Area before moving up to Chehalis, WA.  Gary's road bikes would inspire Charlie Cunningham to build the world's first aluminum mountain bike, and in turn Charlie would strongly encourage Gary to build aluminum mountain bikes, which first occurred in 1985 with the release of the Mountain Klein.  While Gary's company grew and his bikes became widely available, Charlie's bikes would continue to be made in very small numbers with very high price tags.  In an odd twist, a fair number of Kleins would be built up by their owners to mimic the unobtainable Cunningham bikes by making use of a host of Wilderness Trail Bikes parts.  This later Mountain Klein, distinguished by having rear derailleur cable routing that does not go through the chainstay, is a very complete example, with brakes, hubs, seatpost, headset, and bottom bracket all sourced from WTB.  Of course, the fork and stem were made by WTB co-founder Steve Potts.  Although the stout rear end with 1" square chainstays is rather harsh and overbuilt, the end result is a very nice handling bike often referred to as a Kleiningham.

The Build

Year: 1987
S/N: 2M AF 4
Frame: Mountain Klein
Fork: Steve Potts Type II
Stem:  Steve Potts
Headset: WTB / Chris King Grease Guard
Bottom Bracket: Cartridge Bearing Grease Guard
Handlebar: Specialized Alloy Bulge
Shifters: Shimano XT M730
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT M730
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT M730
Brake Levers: Shimano Deore XT M730
Front Brake: WTB Speedmaster Rollercam
Rear Brake: WTB Speedmaster Rollercam
Crankset: Specialized Touring
Chainrings: Specialized 24-36-48
Pedals: Suntour XC Compe w/ WTB Toeflips
Hubs: Wilderness Trail Bikes Grease Guard
Rims: Specialized GX23
Tires: Panaracer Timbuk II 2.0
Wheel QR: Specialized
Seatpost: Wilderness Trail Bikes Fixed Angle
Saddle: Specialized Lamba
Seatpost QR: Suntour
Grips: Magura Pow-R-Grip
Chain: Sachs Powerglide
Cogs: Shimano 600
Extras: Hite-Rite

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